James L. Mills, a Cincinnati-area financial services executive, is running for Ohio lieutenant governor on the Libertarian ticket alongside gubernatorial candidate Don Kissick in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
In response to a Surround Sound News questionnaire, Mills said he got into politics because he was "tired of picking my poison, so I decided I wanted to be part of the antidote." He said he wants government to be more transparent, accountable and focused on the people it serves.
Candidate information
- Party: Libertarian
- Office sought: Ohio Lieutenant Governor
- Running mate: Don Kissick
- Residence: Warren County, Ohio
- Education: MBA, Xavier University; bachelor's degree in Political Science and Economics with a minor in Spanish, University of Cincinnati
- Professional designation: Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC)
- Family: Married, two children. Grew up in Cincinnati as one of five children, including two sets of twins.
Experience and public service
Mills is CEO and co-founder of Ironvest Financial Partners, according to his Libertarian Party candidate profile. He works with individuals, families and businesses on financial planning, retirement and employee-benefit strategies. His career in financial services has included roles at Nationwide, Western & Southern, PNC and Brokerage Solutions.
Earlier in his career, Mills served through AmeriCorps, helping develop programs for a homeless shelter. He called that experience formative.
Within the Libertarian Party of Ohio, Mills has served as vice chair and field development director. He currently serves as chair of the Warren County Libertarian Party.
On the issues
Mills provided his positions on the following issues in response to a Surround Sound News questionnaire and through his campaign platform.
Property taxes and spending
Mills said the Kissick-Mills ticket supports completely eliminating property taxes on owner-occupied homes and family farms. He said they would begin with roughly a 25% reduction and continue phasing them out as replacement funding is identified. The ticket favors local consumption-based taxes as a replacement and supports a constitutional amendment on the ballot to end property taxes.
Mills said Ohioans deserve to see where Lottery education dollars and the broader state education budget go. He called for a comprehensive review of the General Revenue Fund, corporate subsidies, state investments and administrative spending to identify waste before telling homeowners Ohio cannot afford relief.
Government transparency and ethics
Mills said he supports a publicly searchable database showing state contracts, lobbying activity, major expenditures and meetings involving public officials. He cited the House Bill 6 bribery scandal as evidence of what happens when government decisions operate behind closed doors.
He said the ticket would strengthen Ohio's Sunshine Laws, limit nondisclosure agreements in public business and ban legislators from becoming lobbyists for five years after leaving office.
Role of lieutenant governor
Mills said he and Kissick see the lieutenant governor as an active partner, not a ceremonial position. He said his responsibilities would focus on small-business growth, economic development, government transparency and connecting the administration with communities across Ohio.
He said voters should judge his success by measurable results: fewer barriers for small businesses, greater transparency in state spending and whether communities believe they have meaningful access to state government.
Small business and economy
Mills said the ticket wants to simplify licensing and regulation for small businesses, gig workers, tradespeople and in-home childcare providers. He said they would foster a more collaborative small-business ecosystem with incubators, venture capital studios and chambers of commerce.
Immigration
Mills said the ticket believes due process applies to everyone and that immigration enforcement should be civil, not militarized. He said those in the country illegally should have a clear lawful path to citizenship and be required to show good-faith progress toward legal status, with deportation reserved for repeated, proven noncompliance.
The general election is Nov. 3, 2026.
